UNEXPECTED MORAL DILEMMA

Morals? Yeah, I've got them. I may put them on hold when writing a nice death scene. But what almost buried my revision... SEX!

It's been over two years since I've written an adult novel. I forgot what words to use to describe the anatomy without sounding like a genecologist: Member, throbbing, pulsing, shaft, heat ... ack!
Gag me with a spoon.

Uh huh, I took it 80's style since that's the last time I read a romance novel. I'm sure things have changed over the years. I had to do some research. *grin* I also forgot how much I enjoy romance novels. Not so much for the sex, but the romantic tension. I love falling in love through the characters.

Romance is key. I don't like having a gratuitous sex scene with no real reason for it being there. I want sex to be a logical extension of the character's relationship. Anyway, the revision has an increase in sexual tension and exploration based on the needs of the character's relationship.

Whether I did it right ... meaning made it HOT! God, I hope so. Who wants tepid. As a reader you want to live vicariously through the characters, right? Steamy, heart racing, hide the book in a file so you can read it at work, spicy. Only, not so spicy that I feel like I'm corrupting innocent minds with it since it's New Adult. Hence the dilemma I spoke about earlier.

I sent the story off to my critique partners, and I didn't feel a twinge of guilt. They're adults. The problem came from the one beta reader I have who is under 18. Grief.

I don't and didn't write erotica, but I still couldn't reconcile myself with sending it to him with the sexualized scenes intact. Maybe because he's a boy.

No, that's not altogether accurate. I'm not letting my daughter read it either.

I don't have a problem with teens reading about sex. Heck, like I mentioned, I was reading romance novels in 9th grade. My mom gave me the "talk" when I was six. I did the same with my kids. I want them educated.

I'll even be fine with Kiwi reading my book when she's older, but I think thirteen is still too young. Fifteen or sixteen seems like an age where I'll feel okay with it. However, if I'm keeping it real, she's had a library card for years. She's probably read books exploring burgeoning sexuality and she hasn't been mentally scarred by what she's read.

I guess letting her read my book feels different because I'm the one who wrote it. I know it's not something I feel comfortable allowing her to read at her age.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I trimmed those more adult scenes to PG-13 before I sent it to my young beta.

Why did I freak out over a 17-year-old reading the revision? Maybe because I'm not his parent. To me, buying the book in the store gives an implied consent. Sure kids will buy things their parents don't approve of, but it's the parents responsiblity to monitor what their child purchases if they choose to.

Still, I can also see why some of the New Adult books are being rewritten without the sexual content for Young Adults. I think it's easier for a parent to make an informed choice that way.

My reaction probably doesn't even make a whole lot of sense. I know I'm confused. I think it's because of the duality of my dilemma. Which is why I'm having a hard time reconciling it within myself. I'll keep thinking on it.

Maybe you can give me your opinions?

 

ANGIE SANDRO'S A ZOMBIE?

 I haven't done any writing for two weeks. I don't feel up to tackling the new story wiggling in my brain like a maggot after rotting meat. Too gross? Sorry, but it's the truth. I'm still brain dead from the revision. I want to start a new WIP, but I still haven't fleshed out all of the details.

The major one being whether I want to set this in the 1970's. It feels like I should because it has a dark edge that the modern world wouldn't support as easily. Cell phones, internet, computers ... these sorts of conveniences make the story I want to tell less plausible. It does mean I have to do a lot of research on the era. I also wonder whether there’s even a market for this book. Another area of research (I love research, lol).

Since I haven't made up my mind, I've put the story on hold. Which means its grip will get tighter and tighter. In a couple of weeks, I'll be walking around with this dazed look on my face and I'll be at risk of a head shot.

Angie Sandro after a night of editing.

 

 

I’ll probably end up writing it the way the story wants to be told. I don't have much control once the characters start talking in my head. I just go with the flow, then edit like crazy.

 

On Sunday, I'll watch The Walking Dead to see if my favorite character survives. *crosses fingers* because nobody is safe on this show.

 

I hope you all have a happy weekend.



NaNo- THE EDITING AFTERMATH

My vacation from NaNo lasted a day. A single day in which I didn't write, but instead read through the manuscript. Even after the brain numbing exhaustion of writing 50k in a month, I couldn't break away.

I'm pretty happy the story is flowing well. However, upon reading FIXED from the beginning, I saw all the areas that need to be fixed. I want to get those dangling plot threads and foreshadowing events, fleshed out before heading into the climax of the story. 

I mentioned in the last post that I had a date with a wizard, well, before that I stumbled upon his creator, Jim Butcher's Livejournal via my friend/critique partner, jallen327.  

According to Mr. Butcher, "I'm mostly going to use this livejournal to share what I know about writing with any interested parties. My approach to writing fiction is grounded in the notion that a methodical, structured use of learned story craft skills gives a writer an excellent basis on which to approach writing fiction."

His journal rocked my world. Literally.

Rather than read Mr. Butcher's book, COLD DAYS, I spent the night reading about the mechanics of crafting a story. He breaks it down in easily digestible chunks for the aspiring author to understand. I had a blast.

Then, I read his book (which is awesome) where I saw how he used the techniques he wrote about. I admit to being inspired. *insert fangirl squeal*

With this in mind, I outlined my story so far. I broke the chapters into scenes, then highlighted certain plot elements within my story arcs with colored font: romance, mystery, supernatural. This is the result.



Fixed- novel outline, by Angie Sandro

I've never been an outliner, but this worked well. With it minimized, I can see where I'm lacking in certain plot elements, like Chapter 6 and 7 are almost all geared toward the mystery. Now, I can seed in elements which are lacking to make the story more balanced. Notes are put in the comment boxes for each scene or highlighted.

Ex: Note to self, switch around Chapter 2 and 3 for better flow.

I've even added chapters and scenes that are unwritten. I know exactly where the plot is going as I wade through what Mr. Butcher calls the "Great Swampy Middle" of the story and dive into the climax.

All the preceding elements should come together in an explosion of mayhem (with a firm resolution at the end, promise :-) It's gonna be huge. Not everyone is going to make it out alive.

Boo-yah!

P.S. I'd like to get Sharing Our Voices going again, so if you're interested in sharing what inspires your creativity, please leave me contact information so I can schedule your very own guest post.

Thanks,

Angie Sandro

COLD DAYS WITH A WIZARD NAMED HARRY!

I have a long awaited date with a Wizard. So consider me on vacation. While I dream of a beachfront bungaloo, I'll settle for a long weekend at home reading COLD DAYS the 14th book in Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files series and reaquainting my family with my presence since I've virtually abandoned them this month.

To everyone who is still NaNoWriMoing... V live long and prosper.

I'll be back with regular blog posts once I decompress. I still have an amazing story to finish so stay tuned for more FIXED updates.

Thanks for following me on my journey.

NaNo UPDATE, DAY 26

It's the final countdown.

For those of you who have made it to the finish line--congrats.

To those of us still limping along. We still have five days. We CAN bring this home!

With an illness then holiday drama, I thought NaNo would be a bust again this year. Granted the month isn’t over. I still have time to crash and burn, but I’m more hopeful about finishing than I was three days ago.

 

On day 23, I was at 31,000 words. If I wanted to a have any chance of finishing on time, I had to write 10,000 words by Monday. I spent 12 hours on the story on Saturday. Sunday, I edited my critique partner’s story during the day. That night I wrote another 4k. I’m officially caught up. If I can write the necessary 1700 words a day, I’ll finish on time.
 

Okay, enough with the statistical data. Boring, right?

Last week, I asked about POV, and I received a lot of advice. My thanks go to those of you who took the time to share your views and encouragement.

Terri Bruce, author of HEREAFTER, gave the answer which made my decision.

“Hmmmm...I have seen the use of two different tenses, I think, but I can't think of any of the book titles. However, keep in mind with the tense change, what you're saying to the reader is that the first person character is telling the reader what happened AS IT HAPPENS, while the 3rd person character is telling the reader what happened AFTER THE FACT. If that's what you mean, then it should be fine (the examples I'm thinking of are usually suspense/mystery/thrillers, where one person is telling the story after the fact (like the detective/cop) and one is telling it as it happens (usually the bad guy), but I've also seen it in mother/daughter women's fic - with the grown up daughter explaining the present day problems in the past tense and then the book switches to the mom's PoV in present tense as she relates her life story). I'd have to check but Paulo Coelho may have used two different tenses in The Witch of Portobello and I think possibly Amy Tan in The Bonesetter's Daughter. But if you mean for your characters to both be telling the same story at the same time (e.g. as it happens), then you'd really need to use the same tense I think.”

 

I wrote the second POV character, Landry’s chapter in Present/1^st person, and his whole personality flowered upon the page. He had his own voice, his own views and interpretation of his world which was totally separate from Mala’s. He allowed me to explore an otherwise closed part of the story, and in turn, made the story deeper and richer than it was with the single point-of-view.

I’m 150 pages into a story that I find to be even more thrilling than the original.

I think I always worried about that. I’ve read a few sequels that couldn’t stand up to the original. As if some essential spark which infused the first is missing from the second. That doesn’t seem to be the case with this story (of course, I'm biased, lol.) I think it's because I know the characters and their world so well now that I’m able to build up on it with layers and depth.

It feels pretty cool.

So this question is for those of you who have written sequels or read sequels. Was your sequel difficult to write or easier? Do you often enjoy reading about the same characters and what would you suggest makes the sequel better than the original? Or is it even possible in your view to recapture the magic of the first book?

NaNo UPDATE, Day 19

 

There are only two more days until my vacation. I’ll be able to enjoy five days of uninterrupted writing time. Well, maybe a few interruptions, like turkey, stuffing, pie, black Friday, my sister coming in from San Diego, entertaining the kiddies who are out of school, and…the list goes on.

But I should have some NaNo time.

My work-in-progress, FIXED, is shaping up now that I’m editing as I write it. For those who followed my NaNo journey last year, you know I like to experiment.

 

This time, I added in a new POV character, Landry, to the story. I wondered how he felt about all the crazy happenings in Mala’s world.

His chapter…wow, it felt wonderful to write. It got my mojo flowing again. After I wrote his chapter, Mala’s chapters wrote themselves with little effort from me. I love when that happens, but I was afraid it wouldn’t with story after the rocky beginning.

I’m now on Chapter 8, which will be a Landry chapter. I wrote the first one in 3^rd person, past tense. I didn’t want it to be confused with Mala’s 1^st person, present tense.

 

I’m not sure whether it’s too jarring of a change. If necessary, I can always go back and convert it after I’m finished. I won’t worry about it until I get feedback from my critique partners.

I need your opinion. Do you find books with dual POV’s that are written in different POV’s distracting or is it better to have such a distinct separation?

THE NEXT BIG THING -Week 24

I want to thank Dean C. Rich for inviting me to participate in “The Next Big Thing.” I was a little afraid I wouldn’t get this written. I’ve been sick with a cold for the last four days. It’s a minor cold, but it kept me in a loopy, cold medicine induced fog, and I didn’t touch the computer. Thankfully, I’m feeling better. So here you go.

1- What is the working title of your book?

I’m currently working on FIXED, the sequel to JUJU’S CHILD since it’s NaNo. I’ve never written a sequel before, and I didn’t know how tricky it would be to sum up the last story without info dumping. I want the readers who have read Juju’s Child to get a refresher but not be inundated with old material, but also, have new readers caught up.

2- Where did the idea come from for the book?

My father’s family is from Louisiana, and I lived there for three years (8^th-10^th grades). I enjoyed going “Down South” to visit my relatives in St. Martins Parish. My aunts can cook like nobody’s business. I also watched Swamp People, and my main character, Malaise “Mala” Lacroix evolved from there. Add in hoodoo, a riled up spirit, and a murder mystery for the character to solve and there you go.

Since this is a sequel, I’m continuing to show Mala’s evolution. She was a character who loved and trusted easily. Not anymore. Life has made her colder, but it hasn’t broken her. She’s older, wiser, and hopefully more mature.
 

If you're interested in some of the images I used for inspiration, I have storyboards on PINTEREST.


3- What genre does your book fall under?

It’s Southern Gothic.

4- Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I don’t have particular actors in mind. I’d want someone who could pull off a Creole accent without sounding fake. I think the accent is beautiful. My grandfather spoke French, and I’ve wanted to learn. Someday.

5- What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

I’m not finished writing the book yet. I’m a panster, so I have no idea where this is going to go. I have a rough outline, but my characters are willful. They tend to go their own way.

6- Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I’m represented by Kathleen Rushall of Marsal Lyon Literary, LLC. She's awesome, and I love her to pieces.

7- How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

I’m not sure how long this will take me, but typically about three months. I write two or three chapters a week. After writing a chapter, before moving to the next, I edit it. Then, I send it off to my critique partners. By the time I’m finished, it has already gone through a couple of rounds of edits. After that, I let the story sit while I start writing the next book.

I now firmly believe in letting a story sit without being touched for a few months prior to editing. It’s amazing what fresh eyes will find.

8- What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I compared Mala to an African-American Sookie Stackhouse with a little Veronica Mars thrown in for spice.

9- Who or What inspired you to write this book?

See #2

10- What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?

I’m enthralled with the beauty of the bayou, the people and culture of Louisiana. It’s unique unto itself. I wanted to write a book which entertains, but also celebrates this culture. I wrote what I like to read: a mystery which puts the main character in a dangerous situation, with a touch of horror. I like to be scared for the characters. I want to be emotionally invested in their journey. That’s what I like to read and what I write.

It turns out most of my AQC friends have already been tagged. If anyone is interested in being tagged for next week (Week 25), please let me know in the comment section.

Random Post

Yes, this is a random post.

It is to check to see if I fixed the problem of dual posting of my blog on Twitter and Facebook.

Other than that, I don't have much else to say.

Oh, my daughter signed up for the National Novel Writing Month Young Adult Program. So she's NaNoing with me this year. Go, Kiwi!

NaNoWriMo WITH ME?

Are you ready for the 30 day challenge?

 

If you're up for it, let me know. We'll go through this together, motivating each other to the finish. I didn't "win" last year. I tried, but I came in at 46k at the end of the thirty days. If you're interested, here is the link to my 2011 NaNo experience. 

 

I finished QUEST in January, and I'm super excited about how this story came into being. I took risks I wouldn't normally take because it was a NaNo project. I'm so glad I did.

 

 

 This year I'll either be working on the sequel to QUEST or the sequel to Juju's Child. FIXED starts where JC ended, but I think the rollicking fun of Quest II will get me through 30 days. One of the idea's I'm toying with is writing QII through the last book's side characters. I think it's time for Raphael and Dominique to have a voice.

 

As you can see, I'm pretty excited. I have outlines for both stories, so I need to decide which will be my NaNo project.

 

 After spending the last two months editing, I'm ready for the creative spark to shoot lightning out of my fingertips as they fly across the keyboard.  

 

If you're participating this year, please leave me a comment with your NaNo user name, and I'll be Writing Buddy. Also, for those who have read Quest and Juju's Child, maybe help me out. Which story do you think I should write?

Good luck and happy writing.

UPDATE: after brainstorming with my daughter and critique partners, I've decided to go with FIXED:)

 

RECOVERING FROM MOTHER'S DAY

Whew, it was busy last week.

The Sandro clan was on the go with end of the year school functions for the kiddies lasting past their (and my) bedtimes. We hit two movies at an actual theater and had dinner at a sit down restaurant (not drive thru). What's a working mother to do?

Enjoy it.

My Mother's Day weekend usually involves a lot of lounging around the pool. This year, Hubby and I went out sans kids to an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet. It was seafood night, so I went a little crazy tasting the variety of dishes on display: crab, frog legs, lobster, oysters (raw, cooked) various shrimp dishes, sashimi. Yummy.

Afterwards, we went to see a rated R movie, CABIN IN THE WOODS. I can't recall the last time I saw a movie that wasn't kid friendly. 

We totally got a kick out of all the Cthulu-esque references—ancient, sleeping gods who have to be placated with human sacrifice— done Josh Whedon style, bloody AWESOME. He also used actors beloved by those familiar with the Whedon-verse.

On Mother's Day we had a barbeque at the in-laws and the kids played in the pool. It was a wonderful, relaxing, family oriented time.

My poor son didn't have too great of a time though. The boy is ten and chock full of energy, but he crashed on Sunday at 4 p.m. and didn't roll out of bed until Monday morning. He stayed home from school...poor baby. We spent some bonding time together. At this age, the only time he wants to be "babied" is when he's sick. Although, I did get the--"Mom, you know I'm not five, right?"

With such a busy week, I didn't get a whole lot of writing done. I finished a chapter in my new ms FIXED. It’s a sequel to JUJU's CHILD. The old characters have been invading my dreams and demanding a continuation to their storyline. I'm curious to see what they have planned.

So what did you do for Mother's Day weekend?